Nostril Piercing Aftercare

Healing timeline

• Typically 4–6 months; a bridge piercing sits at 8–12 weeks.
• Starter studs are long for swelling; a downsize is usually ready at 4–6 weeks.
• Minimum age: 14+ for nostril; 16+ for bridge (a parent or legal guardian must be present to sign for minors).

Daily cleaning

• Wash your hands before you touch the piercing, and otherwise leave it alone.
• Soak or spray with sterile saline twice a day, then pat dry with clean disposable paper — never a cloth towel.
• Rinse the inside of the nostril in the shower; don't pick at crust — soften it with saline first.

What to avoid

• Keep foundation, sunscreen, and skincare off the piercing and clean around it.
• Blow your nose gently with a clean tissue and avoid pulling the stud.
• Don't twist, rotate, or slide the jewelry — movement drags bacteria into the channel and delays healing.
• Skip alcohol, peroxide, Bactine, Neosporin, tea tree oil, and over-cleaning; they irritate the wound.
• Stay out of pools, hot tubs, lakes, and baths until healed; showers are fine.
• Don't change the jewelry yourself during healing — book a jewelry change at the studio.

What to expect

• Some bleeding, swelling, tenderness, bruising, and clear or whitish crust are normal in the first weeks.
• A small bump beside a nostril stud is usually irritation from makeup or knocks and settles once the cause stops.
• A piercing can feel healed on the outside before the inside has closed — keep cleaning for the full window.

When to get help

• Get medical attention for spreading redness, red streaks, fever, thick yellow or green discharge, or heat and swelling that keeps increasing.
• Come in if the stud sinks into the nostril or the ball is stuck — don't force it.